More NewsGuild members have reached out wanting to share their support as we fight for a union at Law360. Thank you to all who sent messages!
Hi Law360 team,
Congratulations on the amazing organizing work you're doing — I hope that soon we'll be able to count you as sisters and brothers in the NewsGuild! Being unionized has made a huge difference in my life. The health benefits that we've been able to negotiate as a group would, on their own, make the union worthwhile. But I've also been deeply grateful for something less concrete: at work, I am not afraid to speak my mind, make suggestions, or challenge authority. Our "just cause" provision protects us from arbitrary firing. It means that everybody has the liberty to speak up in the workplace. The peace of mind that this brings cannot be overstated. That peace of mind should be everyone's right.
Being part of the union has meant that I never feel isolated. If there's a problem, I talk it over with the shop steward. If we can't solve it, we call our local, and our rep has our back. We are lucky to work in a wonderful office, but if we have to challenge management, we never do it alone.
Hang tough. It's worth it.
In solidarity,
Sarah Leonard
Senior Editor, The Nation
Hello fellow journalists!
My name is Andy Sullivan and I'm the domestic policy correspondent for Reuters News and a proud member of the New York NewsGuild. I've had a rewarding 16-year career at Reuters and one big reason why is because we've got a strong union. We get a better health care package than our managers, we get paid overtime when we work long hours, and we speak up when a manager acts inappropriately. We also can make our voices heard when we see the news coverage straying from the core value of truthfulness and impartiality that have been central to the company's mission for more than 150 years.
I hear you're getting the full court press from hired goons who are trying to tell you that organizing is a bad idea. What possibly could they say? "You don't want a higher salary"? "No-compete clauses are great for your career"?
I've worked in union shops and non-union shops. There's no comparison. If you want a say in how much you earn and how you're treated in the workplace, we're eager to have you in the NewsGuild.
In Unity,
Andy Sullivan
Reuters
This is Tania from Pix11.
Just offering a few words of encouragement. In tough times, you must always remember it gets harder before it gets easier. Hang in there and know we have you in our thoughts and prayers.
Kind regards,
Tania Breton
PIX 11
Law360 staffers:
Stay strong in the face of anti-union management tactics! I look forward to welcoming you all to the NewsGuild, and I encourage you to vote for representation. Together we can make our lives better.
Best,
Matthew Grace
Copy Chief, The Nation
Good luck to you! We are all thinking of you at The Nation. Being in a unionized organization would make a great difference in your life on the job and in your happiness. In union there is strength.
Lisa Vandepaer
The Nation
As a former Law360 reporter, I know firsthand exactly what drove you to seek Guild representation. And as a current Guild member, I can assure you that what you're fighting for is worth it. Whatever concessions management may be promising you now, there is no substitute for a union with the power to stand up for your interests - whether that means ensuring job security, work/life balance or freedom to exercise your journalistic judgment. There is no downside. Don't be intimidated. There are a lot of us out here rooting for you.
Brendan Pierson
Reporter, Reuters
Former Law360 Reporter
The working conditions at Law360 sound overwhelming, and you deserve much better. The Nation has been organized by The NewsGuild for a long time, and all shop employees here have benefited tremendously from it, from realistic workloads to a real, accountable system to handle our workplace issues. Keep fighting for your rights, we stand in solidarity with you!
Frank Reynolds
Multimedia Editor, The Nation
I work for WPIX and I currently have representation from the News Guild, with which I am highly satisfied. I'm writing to encourage you to continue your battle with management to get the members of Law360 represented. It is very important that management can't be allowed to tread on these employees - nor any others. Keep up the good fight.
Sincerely,
Jason Schaeffer
WPIX
I’m with you guys. As a matter of fact, we all are. So stick to your plan. Organize. It’ll work.
Management won’t make it easy. They never do. They are always full of excuses on why they cannot give to the ‘little guy”, while their profits soar. They’ll continue to ask you for more, and more work, without proper compensation... and that’s not just monetary.
You’ve got thousands of brothers and sisters rooting for you. Know that we’ve got your back, because we are a union. Your fight is ours. So stick to your plan. Organize.
Eric Russ
Photo Editor. Scholastic
To Law360 journalists,
Hang in there in your journey towards joining the Guild! I am a Reuters journalist and for 11 years I was in a part of the world where we didn't have union representation. Now I am in a Guild-represented job and it is a different universe. There are so many aspects of my work life that are better - the obvious ones being fair compensation and benefits. But most uplifting for me is being able to go through the work day knowing that we can do what we think is right without being afraid of retribution from managers who may not agree with us.
Chizu Nomiyama
Desk Editor, Reuters
To everyone at Law360,
I would like to express my support as well as the support of all the members of our unit here at WPIX Television for your efforts to be represented by the NewsGuild. As the unit Chairperson for the past 14 years I have seen first-hand, the benefits of having the NewsGuild in our corner. Whether they are speaking to management on behalf of a single member, or sitting across the bargaining table for the entire unit, it was a great reassurance to know that they would put forth every effort to be sure that our people were treated fairly.
Just remember that persistence and perseverance will ultimately pay off in the end and will help you to win this fight.
Joe Punday
WPIX Unit Chair
Meteorologist|Weather Producer, PIX11 News
Before I joined Reuters in 2011, I had worked for numerous non-unionized newspapers, where I endured pay cuts and wage freezes, logged countless hours of overtime without compensation and watched talented colleagues lose their jobs without justification or recourse. At the time, I accepted those problems as the inescapable drawbacks of the industry we all have chosen.
As a result, I was skeptical of having to pay membership dues when I came to Reuters, without understanding what it would offer me in return. But I’ve never once regretted the presence of our union (and in fact I’m now a shop steward and a member of our CBA negotiating team). We have better pay, contractually guaranteed wage increases, excellent health care, strong rules that ensure we don’t have to work for free and protections from arbitrary discipline or termination. And despite what your management may try to argue, the Guild does not act as a barrier between editors and their workers. On the contrary, most of our bosses understand and respect the union’s role, and in many cases the Guild has helped open lines of communication so that reporters feel free to express their opinions without fear of retribution.
Join us. We’re with you.
Joseph Ax
Reporter, Reuters
To the journalists of Law360:
I spent two years in your shoes, and I know exactly how hard you work every single day. Unionizing isn't a magic bullet – you'll still work long hours, and cover a zillion stories, and clash with your editors from time to time. But I have seen just how critical it is to have a union to get my back when it comes to getting full compensation for all of the hours I work, protecting me from management's whims and making sure that I get the benefits that I have earned. It's tough to stand alone on these things; when you stand together with your colleagues, it makes a real impact.
You create something tremendously valuable every day, and you have the right to ask for something in return. I truly admire your courage and tenacity, no matter what happens.
Jessica Dye
Reporter, Reuters
Former Law360 Reporter